Diction In Hamlet

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In the play, Hamlet, William Shakespeare portrays the manipulative and deranged character of Hamlet, who is petrified after receiving word from the ghost of his father that his uncle was the one who killed his father. His heartbreak over his father’s death tears him apart -- he loses his reason and his sanity. Hamlet’s soliloquy, “O that this too” and “To be or not to be..”, show just how far his rational mind broken down. He struggles to come to terms with his own life and questions his ability to live life any longer. Shakespeare shows the demented and unhinged mind of Hamlet through literary devices such as metaphors and diction. Even though Hamlet is trying to manipulate others to seem as though he is crazy, his rational actions has grains of truth. However, before mental anxiety, comes depression. In Hamlet’s “Oh that this too” soliloquy, Hamlet says, “Oh, that this too, too solid flesh would melt, Thaw, and resolve itself into a dew, Or that the Everlasting had not fixed His canon ‘gainst self-slaughter!”(1.2.30-34) Hamlet prefers not to have a body, so that he does not feel any type of pain. If suicide were not a sin, he would have committed suicide…show more content…
The metaphorical phrase, “a sea of troubles” shows the idea that life is full of harsh shifts and currents. Hamlet is looking at the glass half empty instead of the glass half full, meaning he has lost all hope in life. The diction in “to be or not to be” shows not just the question of suicide but the actual end for his emotional life. At this point in the play, Hamlet’s emotional stability has been completely perished. How can one live without a brain? Insanity. As the play unfolds, Hamlet’s words and actions are slowly becoming to be actually insane. In modern day society, suicide is still an evident problem, however one can overcome through the adversaries through the help of others. In Hamlet’s case, no one is

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